Pink Floyd and Philosophy

Editor: George A. Reisch

Publication date : 2007

Popular Culture and Philosophy series, Vol. 30

Open Court

"In this collection of essays, sixteen scholars expert in various branches of philosophy set the controls for the heart of the sun to critically examine the themes, concepts, and problems-usually encountered in the pages of Heidegger, Foucault, Sartre, or Orwell-that animate and inspire Pink Floyd's music. These include the meaning of existence, the individual's place in society, the interactions of knowledge and power in education, the contradictions of art and commerce, and the blurry line-the tragic line, in the case of Floyd early member Syd Barrett (died in 2006)-between genius and madness. Having dominated pop music for nearly four decades, Pink Floyd's dynamic and controversial history additionally opens the way for these authors to explore controversies about intellectual property, the nature of authorship, and whether wholes-especially in the case of rock bands-are more than the sums of their parts."